White Ninja of Darkness
by SpiritOfFrost
Summary: Zane feels like a stranger among the rest of his team. They barely talk to him and when they do it's usually yelling. Anytime he does the slightest thing wrong, they get so angry you'd think he just blew up the world. One night, Zane takes a walk to clear his head and ends up running into a man who calls himself Clouse. And Clouse's master has an interesting proposition for him.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Hey everyone! My name is SpiritOfFrost. This is the first story I've posted on the site, though I've been reading other stories and writing fanfiction for quite some time. So, I watched Ninjago and, like immediately, all of these story ideas started popping into my head. I started writing this one and I like the way it sounds so far, so I'm going to give it a chance. Hopefully, I won't get writer's block a couple chapters into it. I'll try to post chapters when I get them done, but don't count on there being a regular update time.**

 **A couple notes about this story. I've made Zane a bit more human like. He's still a robot, just with a bit more human sounding speech and thoughts, less like, well less like a machine spouting of information and probabilities. (I love Zane, so don't hate on me for this.) This story takes place after Season 3, but Zane didn't die at the end. Umm... I think that's it for now, so I hope you enjoy!**

 _ **Chapter posted on August 11, 2015.**_

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Chapter 1:

 ***Zane's PoV***

I don't understand what happened. When I found out I was a robot, Kai, Jay, and Cole assured me that the revelation wouldn't change anything. But it did.

I didn't notice at first. It was small things. They would try to avoid touching me, they wouldn't make eye contact. Slowly, their actions became more obvious. They started talking to me less and less, they would go out to relax and have fun without asking if I'd like to join them. During training, if we messed up a formation or group attack, they would all blame me.

When Lloyd joined the group, I had hoped things might get better, that things might go back to the way it was before I found out the truth about myself. It was a foolish hope. Lloyd immediately noticed the others' attitudes toward me and he... he just joined in. And things became worse still.

Not only was I being isolated, but every little thing that went wrong was somehow my fault. Jay spilled his drink? Apparently I bumped into him. Kai burnt Cole during training? Apparently I distracted him. Lloyd failed an attack pattern? I was the one who didn't teach him well enough.

They would blow up at me for the tiniest of things, getting so angry that you'd of thought I killed an innocent person. I could barely stand to be in the same room as any of them.

I don't know what to do. They are still my brothers, aren't they? If not, then they were at least still my teammates... But with the way they've been acting... do they even still see me as part of the team?

If I'm not the White Ninja, then who am I?

* * *

I walked off of the Bounty, heading into the streets of Ninjago City. I had just finished being yelled at by Cole because Kai burnt dinner, and decided to go for a walk to clear my head. The sun had already set, casting everything into darkness.

My feet guided me to the park. There was no one else there, which was understandable considering the time. My falcon friend landed on my shoulder for a moment, giving a quick ' _squawk_ ' before taking off again. I smiled and sat under a tree, crossing my legs and going into a meditative state. I could feel the tension leaving my body as I relaxed more. I stayed like this for nearly two hours. When I finally opened my eyes, I was shocked to see a man sitting in front of me.

He had jet black hair that was tied back in a ponytail and slicked down with some kind of hair product. His eyes were dark brown, almost black, and he sported a small mustache on his upper lip. There were wrinkles on his face that made it obvious he was not young. He wore what looked like armor, colored red and purple and decorated with golden designs.

"Who are you?" I asked.

"So you've finally come back to the real world." the man said. "You can call me Clouse."

I offered my name hesitantly. "...Zane."

"I know who you are. The White Ninja, one of the four teachers to the prophetic Green Ninja, Master of Spinjitzu as well as the Element of Ice, a robot created by Dr. Julien, recently deceased. Your main weapon is shuriken." Clouse said, standing up. "My master is very interested in you, so I have been observing you for some time. I can't help but notice the way your fellow Ninja have been treating you. My master would like to offer you a proposition."

I slowly stood up, not taking my eyes off of this man who seemed to know all about me. "What kind of proposition? Who is this master of yours?"

"My master's name is Chen. He rules over an island not far off the coast of Ninjago. He is offering you a position as one of his right-hand men. You'll live in luxury. Chen's men will follow your commands without question. Only Master Chen and I will have a higher rank. No more of being treated like you're worthless. No more being yelled at for things that aren't your fault." Clouse stopped talking for a moment, as if to let his words sink in. "But, I must warn you that the things we do aren't always the kindest. You'll have to forget about your sense of nobility and righteousness. Master Chen might ask you to assassinate someone, or to kidnap a person. You might have to hold people hostage for ransom. You might have to torture people..." he trailed off.

I wanted to deny the offer right then and there. I was a Ninja, a protector of the people. I could never do things that would hurt others on purpose. My father told me I was made to help those who can't help themselves. How could I, in good conscience, go against everything I've always stood for?

But then, my thoughts drifted towards the other Ninja. What was I to them? A screw up, a disaster-causer, a freak of nature? I may be a robot, but I still had human tendencies. I still felt things like emotion and pain. Ever since I found out I was a robot, they've treated me like a stranger, almost like a slave. I doubt they even considered me apart of the team anymore. When Lloyd came, he practically took my place and I was kicked to the curb. Did I want to be treated like that for the rest of my extended life?

Clouse was waiting for my response. I was so conflicted. I didn't want to say yes, but I couldn't bring myself to say no, either. "I need to think about it." I finally said.

"Very well. I will be waiting at the Ninjago City docks tomorrow night if you decide to accept the offer. If you don't show, I'll know you've refused. Have a... pleasant night."

I watched him walk away, my thoughts in turmoil like a war zone. It was past midnight by now, so I decided to head back to the Bounty and try to get some sleep. Maybe my head will be clearer in the morning.

I fell onto my bed, exhausted, and almost immediately succumbed to sleep.

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 **A/N: Poor Zane! So there is reason behind the other Ninja's attitudes toward Zane. This will be revealed in a couple chapters. Do not fret, I did not make the others mean. They are still the Ninja we all know and love. Hope you all liked the first chapter. Please review. Flames will be ignored, but I welcome constructive criticism. Anything that could help make this story better. You could also just give words of encouragement if you liked it. Even little things like "This is good" or "Please continue" will help keep my motivation for this story. Hope to see you all next chapter. Have a great rest of your day.**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: You guys are so awesome! Thank you to everyone who has clicked 'follow' or 'favorite' for this story, and an even bigger thank you to anyone who reviewed. I got nothing but positive reviews for the first chapter and many people saying they were excited for more. It just puts a big smile on my face.**

 **I know you've all been waiting, so without further-ado I present to you the second chapter of "White Ninja of Darkness". Hope you all enjoy.**

 _ **Chapter posted on**_ _ **August 24, 2015**_ _ **.**_

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Chapter 2:

 ***Zane's PoV***

"Why didn't you help Kai!?" Cole yelled. We were all in the training room at the end of today's session. Cole stood in front of me, his face just a couple inches from mine, red with anger. "If this had been real, he would have died! But, then again, that's probably what you wanted since you're one of them!"

Our training today had been a simulated battle against droids that Nya had built for us. She was quite handy with robotics and had designed these droids to imitate the fighting styles of enemies we had previously fought. Today they were fighting like Nindroids, prompting Cole's comment about me being 'one of them'. That's not to say his comment was justified. Cole's insinuation that I would flip sides because I was a robot like our enemies did hurt to hear.

What had happened was that during the simulated fight a couple of our 'enemies' had managed to pin Kai to the floor. I had been surrounded, trying to fight off at least ten of the droids. There was no way I could have made it to Kai's position in time, even if I had used my spinjitzu. Jay, on the other hand, had been closer to Kai and had only been fighting two of the enemies. He had been capable of saving Kai, had this encounter been real. The simulation ended as the droids moved in to deliver the 'final blow'. That was what Nya had programmed them to do. If the droids stopped fighting in the middle of the battle, that meant that one of us had been 'killed', thus meaning we had failed.

Cole was yelling at me for this failure because, somehow, I was the one at fault. Nowadays, though, every mistake was my fault. I had long ago stopped trying to defend myself in these arguments. They never listened anyway. I just stood there in silence, taking the verbal abuse Cole was throwing at me.

My thoughts drifted to the offer Master Chen had given me. I could almost surely say that the other Ninja wouldn't care if I just disappeared. They would probably be relieved I was gone, as much as it hurt me to think that. They would easily move on, eventually forgetting about me all together, and I would be free from this abuse... But was that freedom worth it if I had to do horrible things under Master Chen's orders?

When Cole's fist came up and hit me in the face, sending me flying across the room, my body slamming into the wall on the opposite side, I decided. Throughout everything that has happened since discovering I was a robot, none of the other Ninja had ever hit me. Cole's punch was the first time and that usually meant that it would soon become normal.

I was not going to sit around and become a punching bag. Serving Master Chen had to be better then this. I was leaving with Clouse tonight.

Wordlessly, I stood up, not looking at any of the others, and walked out of the the training room. The halls of the Bounty were quiet and empty. I held up a hand to the spot Cole had hit, inspecting it for damage. My jaw ached a bit, but the metal structure underneath my synthetic skin didn't seem to need any repairs. I made my way to my own room and started packing my things. There wasn't much. I had a few pairs of casual clothing, a couple of my white Ninja gi, my Elemental Sword from the Temple of Light, my Techno-Blade, and all of my shurikens. I never felt like I needed to keep sentimental objects, so there wasn't anything else that I needed to worry about.

I left a single white gi and one shuriken on my bed, a sign of my departure to anyone who cared. When I had finished, I left the room, door open, and exited the Bounty. A couple of steps into the city, I looked back briefly, staring at the fluttering sails of the ship, but the soreness from my jaw reminded me of why I was leaving. I shook my head and continued on my way to the docks.

Despite it being only an hour past noon, Clouse was already there, waiting by one of the ships. This set off alarm bells in my head. How did he know I would come early? I pushed the thoughts away forcefully, not willing to let myself become paranoid.

"So, you've decided to accept my Master's offer?" Clouse asked.

"Yes." I replied.

Clouse smiled, though it looked more like a creepy smirk. It sent shivers down my back. "Then I welcome you aboard. If we leave now, we should arrive at Master Chen's island by nightfall."

I stepped on and set down my bag, willing myself to not look back, even as the ship set sail, leaving Ninjago City and the rest of Ninjago behind it.

I only stared ahead at the horizon, wondering how different my life was about to become.

* * *

 ***3** **rd** **Person PoV***

Clouse walked into the ship's control room, picking up a communicator that was lying on the counter. "I was successful, Master. The Nindroid is on the ship now and we are on the way to the island. He actually believes his friends betrayed him."

"Perfect. Once we have the robot, nothing will be able to stop me."

"Do you want me to send out the invitations to your tournament?" Clouse asked.

"No, no. Not yet. We will wait a few months before commencing the Tournament of Elements. For now, I just want to focus of the Master of Ice."

"Of course, Master. I will have returned with him by nightfall."

The person on the other side of the communicator laughed. "I hold all the cards. Ninjago will soon be mine."

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 **A/N: There you go. Hints to the evil plot and all. Hope you guys liked this chapter. Like I said in the first chapter, my updates are going to be irregular, and I'm about to start college, so please don't hound me about updating the story unless it has been a really long time. Reviews are awesome, so don't forget to click that button below. See you all next time and have a great rest of your day.**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N:** **So, I'm sorry for taking so long to update. I have my reasons, but I'm going to wait to explain until the end of the chapter. For now, just enjoy Chapter 3 of "White Ninja of Darkness".**

 _ **Chapter posted on November 2, 2015**_

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Chapter 3:

 ***Zane's PoV***

It was well into the night by the time we arrived at Chen's island. It was small and the majority of it seemed to be occupied by a thick jungle. The area that wasn't covered in vegetation was home to an ornate looking palace. The walls were an ivory white color, but the roof was red, the exact shade of blood. I tried not to think about it. The whole palace was surrounded by a stone wall, upon which guards patrolled.

Clouse led me through a large red and gold gate and into the palace without giving me a chance to examine much else. The inside was lavishly decorated. Paintings with frames of gold and jewels sat on the walls, chandeliers of crystal hung from the ceiling, the floor was covered in plush rugs that had intricate designs woven into them, several small tables were lined against the walls and on them sat vases like which one would see at an art museum, all of which held plants of different varieties.

But the one thing that stood out to me was the blood red color, the same as the roof, that seemed to be everywhere. I hated it. The factual side of my processor reminded me that upon agreeing to serve Master Chen, I agreed to the possibility of having to be an assassin, meaning I'd likely be seeing more of this color in my future. I shuttered at the thought, not actually sure if I'd be able to do such a thing.

I was drawn from my thoughts upon hearing a loud bang. I turned my head toward the sound. At the other end of the room, two doors flung open and in strode a man that I could only assume was Master Chen. He wore robes of red and black that were adorned with golden designs and something silvery that looked suspiciously like snake scales. A black cape flowed out behind him and on his face he sported a black goatee and matching sideburns. But it was the top of his head that drew my attention. Sitting on top of his head was a serpentine's skull and around it looked like the tail of what I could only guess was the same serpentine. Not for the first time, I felt chills run down my spine.

I unwittingly took a step backwards as he approached me with the look of a predator that just cornered their prey. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Clouse bow slightly to the man and I quickly copied his movement.

"Master." Clouse addressed. "As asked, I returned with the Ice Ninja."

"Well done, Clouse." Chen stared at me for a moment, then with a quick flick of his wrist, two of other men entered the room and restrained me. I struggled, but their hold was firm. One of them kicked my legs, causing me to fall to my knees. The other grabbed a chunk of my hair, forcing my head to face Chen who was grinning down at me.

"What is the meaning of this?" I asked, still fighting to break free.

"Zane. The White Ninja of Ice. It's a pleasure to welcome you to my island. I've heard so much about you, including your little problem with your friends. It's a shame really, but then again, magic can be so unpredictable." Chen was still grinning as Clouse stepped up to his side, hand covered in dark energy.

My eyes widened in realization. "You made my friends turn on me!"

Clouse laughed. "No, I only made you think your friends betrayed you. Fear is a powerful thing. I took your fear of losing your team and nurtured it. None of what you think happened actually happened. It was all in your head."

I froze. My friends never hurt me? None of that had been real? But that doesn't make sense. Their behavior started back when I found out I was a robot. Has Clouse been following me all of this time? Or did he somehow change my memories? I tried to voice my questions, but all that came out was, "Why?"

"You want me to tell you my evil plan? Okay!" Chen exclaimed gleefully. "In a few months I will invite all the elemental masters to my island for a Tournament of Elements. During the tournament I will slowly eliminate the masters and steal their power. Once I have the power of all the elements, I can cast a spell to turn me and all my followers into Anacondrai, the fiercest of serpentine warriors. Then I shall take over Ninjago."

"Master, was it safe to tell the ninja your whole plan? What if he escapes?" Clouse asked.

"Oh, Clousey-Clouse, you worry too much." Chen replied, patting Clouse on the cheek. "The Ninja won't want to escape. In fact, he's going to help me."

"Help you? That will never happen." I yelled. I can't believe I fell for this trap. I knew something was off with Clouse, yet I came with him anyway.

Chen chuckled as he pulled something out of his robe. "That is where you're wrong. This is a memory processor. As I'm sure you are aware, every Nindroid has one. If removed, the robot can't remember anything from their life, nor can it record any further memories. I built this one after studying many others. Once I replace your memory processor with this one, you will be loyal only to me, and with you on my side, nothing will be able to stop me, not even your other pesky Ninja friends."

I struggled in the arms of the men holding me. I had to break free and warn the others of what was going to happen. Chen moved behind me, out of my range of sight, but I felt his hand touch something at the base of my neck. My vision went black.

* * *

 ***3rd Person PoV***

Chen cackled merrily as he watched the Nindroid slowly open his eyes. The eyes found his and the robot bowed deeply.

"Welcome to my island, Connor. My White Ninja of Darkness."

"What do you wish for me to do, Master?"

* * *

Nya ran down the halls of the bounty. She slammed open the doors of the training room, making the Ninja inside stop what they were doing and look at her.

Kai frowned at the look on his sister's face. "Nya, what's wrong?

"Zane's missing."

* * *

 **A/N: In case you didn't catch that, yes, "Connor" is Zane. And now the Ninja know Zane is gone. That means they can go save him, right? Right?**

 **Anyway, I said I would explain my long absence. I said in my last chapter that I was about to start college, well that has happened. Pretty much, I've been focusing on college and haven't had time to write much. I know that some people of this site take their stories and writing very seriously, I've had a long conversation about this with one of my reviewers.**

 **I want to make it clear that, in my case, writing these stories is something I do for fun. Yes, I will write to make each chapter the best I can, but this story (and any other story I write) is not the sole main focus of my life. My college work will always come first, which means there will be times like this where there won't be an update for months. I am not discontinuing this story, and I am not yet putting it on Hiatus (though that may happen in the future if I feel that I need to). Also, please do not review just to ask when I will be updating again. In my opinion, that is very annoying, and it isn't really a review toward the story.**

 **I would love it if you guys stay with me during the duration of this story. I apologize if I'm disappointing anyone, but I know I can't please everyone. As always, reviews help me see how good my writing is. I'm always open to constructive criticism or further ideas as to how this story should progress, so please follow, favorite, or review and I hope to see you next chapter.**


	4. Author's Note - Reader's Poll

**A/N: This is not an update! I'm sorry!**

 **This is also not a discontinuation or hiatus notice, so don't worry about that.**

 **Okay, so I know it has been months since I put up the last chapter of this story, and again I apologize for the long wait. While doing my college work I've also been working on the next chapter, but I've had a thought (very dangerous, I know) and I wanted my readers' opinions on this.**

 **I've been thinking of re-writing this story, with a slightly different plot. (SPOILER ALERT, just in case)**

 **So in Ninjago Canon, after Zane dies at the end of the third season, he rebuilds himself at Borg Industries. Then Ronin, who shows up in Season Five (if you haven't yet watched that), captures both PIXAL and Zane and sells them to Chen, who, as you all should know, uses Zane to lure the other Ninja to fight in his Tournament of Elements.**

 **I've been thinking of having the story follow the canon events of how Zane ends up on Chen's Island, and from there have Chen reprogram him as "Connor". So Zane (Connor) will be a participant in the tournament (yet, like Skylor, be working for Chen the whole time) and the Ninja are going to recognize him immediately. The story would then progress to what Zane is doing under Chen's commands and how the Ninja go about rescuing him.**

 **This is just an idea and I'd like all of my readers' opinions.** **Should I continue the story as it is? Or should I do the slight plot change that I described above?** **I am going to set up a poll, if you'd like to vote anonymously, or you can leave me a comment or PM.**

 **Again, I'm sorry this isn't an update, but I look forward to hearing your opinions. Thank you all!**


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